There are many instances where an electrical cable splice must be insulated and protected from the effects of the environment in which it is used. For example, in splicing a telephone service cable to the main cable, particularly in underground installations, protection must be afforded against the deleterious effects of moisture, not only on the electrical connection itself, but on the long lengths of the cable which the moisture may reach as a result of the effects of hydrostatic pressure and capillary action.
One of the prior art methods of protecting cable splices from the environment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,810. The method involves inserting the splice into a cylindrical capsule which is filled with a pliable plastic water proofing insulating material. A plug which has circumferentially spaced peripheral grooves is used to seal the opened end of the cylindrical capsule. The spliced cables are twisted around the plug with the cables positioned in the grooves and the splice positioned in front of the plug. Then the plug and the splice are inserted into the cylindrical capsule forcing the insulating material around the cable splice. Unfortunately, the resultant enclosure is not sufficiently moisture proof to withstand an underground environment. The enclosure also lacks means for securing the splice within the capsule and therefore the splice becomes disassembled when tension is placed on the cables.
Another prior art method of protecting cable splices from the environment is disclosed in the patent of Donald J. Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,076, assigned to the assignee of the present application. The protection is accomplished by utilizing an enclosure which is capable of rigidly fixing two or more spliced cables within the enclosure and protecting the ends of these cables and the associated cable splice from moisture. The enclosure is comprised of a pair of mating plug members having cap portions and a vial which is prefilled with a water immiscible sealant. The enclosure is assembled by first disposing the plug members around the spliced cables thereby rigidly fixing the splice and cables with respect to the plug. The plug is then inserted into the vial thereby immersing the splice and cable ends in the sealant. The cap portion of the plug members is then securely affixed to the vial by threaded engagement. The resultant enclosure affords the splice protection from moisture and from the application of tension to the cables. While this device has been generally quite satisfactory, it has been discovered that when one attempts to insert into the sealant a cable splice consisting of a relatively large number of quite flexible conductors and their associated connectors, the wires of the splice become displaced and disconnected. This is due to the fact that the conductors and associated connectors comprise a large mass and therefore the splice cannot be easily inserted into the sealant without bending and breaking these fragile wires. Moreover, it is difficult to keep these wires and connectors in a compact enough mass to permit easy insertion into the vial. Since the use of multiconductor service cables is becoming increasingly frequent, a more easily handled enclosure assembly has been sought.